harbor freight lathe

[CORY FETZER]

does anyone know if these lathes are any good for a beginner to turn bowls, goblets amd pens
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=34706

thanks cory

[Corey Hallagan]

Cory, I am sure you will find alot of info here on this lathe. Many people have started on that lathe from what I have read in the past. Definitely will be good to turn pens, goblets and smaller bowls.

Corey

[Kent Fitzgerald]

Hi, Cory

I've been using that HF lathe for a couple of years now for pens and spindle work. For me, it's been a greater starter lathe. I know it's not the best in the world, but I'm turning stuff, and learning, and having fun. It does what I ask, and any problems have been due to the guy on the blunt end of the tool, not the lathe. The lathe is routinely on sale for about $190. Use a 15% coupon, add the extended service plan for good luck, and you're turning for under $200.

Just watch out for that thing they call "the vortex." There seems to be an inevitable and infinite upgrade path for turning tools and accessories. At the outset, I think the most important things are a decent lathe and tools, some way to sharpen them, safety gear, and a good selection of books and videos.

Speaking of videos, a shy and diminutive fellow named Bill Grumbine, who lives about half way between us, has a great bowl turning video that is IMHO a must-see for all turners. I'm about to order his second video myself.

Give a shout if you're ever up Allentown way.

Kent

[Jim Dunn]

My good friend has the Grizzly model of that lathe. He seem to like it. He did build a low shelf and loaded it down with sandbags. Also a new tool rest was a nice addition.

[Mark Pruitt]

Cory, that's the lathe I own. I am very happy with it as long as I do not try to exceed its limitations.

Some points worth noting:

(1) Any lathe with only a 3/4 hp motor will limit the size of the piece you can turn with it. For a beginner, that is not a problem. I do not anticipate requiring a larger, more powerful lathe for another year or so. I think Jim Becker outgrew his 34706 in only six months, but then Becker has this keen ability to stuff two hours of activity into one. When I upgrade, I will have the option of selling my 34706 or keeping it for small projects. (Since I'm trying to get the LOML into this spinny stuff as well, having a second lathe will be a definite plus, but that's another story.) The hp is the only significant limitation--and note that many lathes costing twice as much still have only a 3/4 hp motor.

(2) The stand is fairly sturdy, but like any lathe stand made of sheet metal, you're much better off if you make a shelf to fit onto the ledge, take some bagged sand or concrete mix and set it on the shelf. I have 240 pounds of sand on mine, and he ain't goin' nowhere.

(3) The faceplate is 6". Like most lathes, the 34706 comes with a bigger faceplate than necessary. Plan on buying a smaller faceplate. The threading is 1 x 8 FYI.

(4) The tool rest is OK, but I replaced mine with the Sorby modular system and have been much happier.

(5) Don't make a big fuss over the swiveling headstock. It may be nice in a limited number of applications, but when it is rotated outwards, the banjo must be extended to a point where the tool rest does not have as much rigidity as it does when positioned close in. I have never swiveled my headstock the full 180 degrees and used the outboard bed, so I have no comments to offer on that.

(6) Buy it when it's on sale. The cheapest I'm seeing it advertised these days is $199. At that price, for a beginner it's a no-brainer. Scoop it up.

(7) No matter what lathe you buy, I suggest that you start with the Harbor Freight lathe chisel set--the 8 piece set made of HSS. You will have to practice sharpening methods and you might as well learn with a $30 set as opposed to a $200 set. Besides that, these chisels are just plain good.

Hope this helps.

Mark

[Jim Becker]

I started on the 34706. It's pretty much a copy of the Jet 1236 and similar older design lathes and functional. It's NOT over powered...and relatively light-weight...but the price is often attractive. It does take a 25mm tool rest post, so you'll need to sand down any "standard" 1" tool rest posts slightly to get them to fit. That said, I generally think that a VS mini/midi lathe is usually a better "starter" lathe and will continue to be valuable even if you move up to a larger, heavier machine later on. And the actual, "real world" capacity isn't all that different, especially with the extension bed.

The HFT tool set that Mark mentions is just fine, but be aware it's pretty much spindle turning oriented. If that is not your thing and you want to basically turn bowls and other face-plate work, a bowl gouge, round nose scraper and a parting tool is a good way to start with individual tools.

[CORY FETZER]

thanks everyone for the replies as soon as the lathe goes on sale ill be driving to lancaster to pick one up and of course the chisel set

[Ben Rafael]

The 15% off at HF is going on right now, til the 27th.